RAPID CITY, S.D. – The #19 Colorado School of Mines Volleyball team rallied from behind to earn a 3-1 win against South Dakota Mines on Friday evening inside the King Center.
 
Rose Stuewe championed the Oredigger offense with 15 kills while hitting .344 on the pin. Emily Knight and Emma Smithey touted double-digit kills as well at 11 and 10, respectively. Knight converted at a .417 clip and Smithey posted a .476 hitting percentage. Drew Stokes guided the comeback by way of a 42-assit, 13-dig double-double. Stokes also added three kills and two blocks. Megan Neil provided an additional notable performance thanks to nine kills and 13 digs while hitting .320 on the outside. Duis added 10 digs to round out the highlights.
 
The Orediggers (7-4, 2-1 RMAC) were held to a .000 attack percentage in the opening set but hit over .300 in the remaining three frames. South Dakota Mines (4-7, 1-2 RMAC) flexed its service prowess by producing five aces compared to one by Colorado School of Mines. The Orediggers also edged the Hardrockers on the block, 6-3. That defense helped limit the home team to a match attack percentage of .165.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Friday evening brought about the first meeting of 2022-23 between Colorado School of Mines and South Dakota Mines. A meeting of the Mines as it were. It also happened to be the 2022 home opener for the Hardrockers from Rapid City, S.D. The spark of its home court fueled SDM to a dominant, 25-12 victory in the opening set despite four kills on .333 hitting by Stuewe. However, the ladies from Colorado bounced back from their early stumble and rolled the rest of the match.
 
Game two featured a breakout performance by Smithey. She knocked down five kills on eight attempts with zero errors to hit .625 for the frame. Neil was right behind, touting four kills and zero errors for a .500 set-hitting percentage which she complimented with seven digs. Those two performances were aided by Stokes' 14 assists as the Orediggers evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-19 win. That spark fed a 25-21, game-three win for the visitors. Stuewe snatched the proverbial baton and smashed five kills with a .714 attack percentage in the set. Knight helped Colorado School of Mines polish off the victory by converting six kills on seven attempts while committing no errors in the fourth game. Her .857 hitting percentage in the frame fueled a dominant, 25-16 win to clinch the match.
 
NOTABLES
- The Orediggers are now 9-4 with four straight wins in the all-time series against the Hardrockers.
- Friday marked only the third four-set affair in the ongoing rivalry.
- There were seven ties and three lead changes in game one. The Orediggers led from start to finish in game two. Three ties and three lead changes highlighted game three. Four ties and one lead change marked the final set of the night between Colorado School of Mines and South Dakota Mines.
- Smithey shattered every one of her single-match career highs on Friday night in Rapid City.
- Head Coach Magalei now owns a career record of 325-106.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues its trip to South Dakota with a match at Black Hills State on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Spearfish. Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will be available.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines volleyball on Twitter at @MinesVolleyball and on Instagram at @mines.volleyball. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the